Storage Box with Venting Option

ABSTRACT

A storage box has a container with circumferential sidewall and upper rim. A cover is removably connected to the container. The cover, when placed in a closure position on the container, is resting on the rim. In the closure position, the cover is positioned on the container in a sealing position or in a closing position. The sidewall has a sidewall section with venting openings. The cover has a cover wall extending downward into the container interior. The cover wall is positioned where the sidewall section is located in the closure position. The cover wall is resting seal-tightly on an inner wall of the sidewall in the sealing position of the cover. The cover has venting passages. In the closing position of the cover, the venting passages extend from the container interior to the sidewall and open into the venting openings without the cover wall covering the venting openings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a storage box with a container comprising acircumferentially extending sidewall and a removable cover, wherein thecontainer has an upper circumferentially extending rim and the cover, inits closure position, is resting on the upper circumferentiallyextending rim and contacts seal-tightly a portion of the inner wall ofthe container with a cover wall of the cover.

DE 20 2005 020 035 U1 discloses a storage box of the aforementionedkind. The cover is designed such that it is capable of air-tightlyclosing the interior of the container in the closure position. In orderto be able to vent the interior of the container (allowing air in orallowing air out), a closure element is inserted in the cover of thecontainer that can be attached or removed as desired. In addition, acheck valve is provided with which a vacuum is to be generated andmaintained in the container.

The separate closure element is not optimal with regard to handlingbecause, as a separate component, it might be lost. Producing thecomponents requires additional expenditure for a separate mold and forassembly of the parts. Also, maintenance is more difficult because thecomponent geometries of the closure element generate a lot of cornersand edges where residues of food may collect that may be difficult toremove.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a storage box of theaforementioned kind that is closeable but, as needed, can also be closedso as to enable venting for allowing gas in or out with minimalexpenditure.

In accordance with the present invention, this is achieved for a storagecontainer of the aforementioned kind in that the cover in the closureposition can be placed onto the container in a sealing position or in aclosing position, as needed; in that the sidewall is provided with oneor more venting openings in a sidewall section into which a cover wallof the cover projects downwardly and which is contacted seal-tightly inthe sealing position by the cover wall; and in that on the cover one orseveral venting passages are formed which, in the closing position ofthe cover, extend from the interior of the container to the sidewall ofthe container and that open into the venting opening or ventingopenings, without a seal-tight contact of the cover wall of the cover inthe area of the venting passage.

According to the invention, the cover is placed conventionally in theclosure position onto the container when the goods placed into thecontainer are to be secured against falling out and/or are to beprotected from undesirable contact with other objects. In contrast tothe prior art, the user can now select whether the cover is to bepositioned in a sealing position or in a closing position onto thecontainer. The venting openings in the sidewall of the container providethe option that, even when the cover is secured on the container, gassesor even liquids and solids can be exchanged between the interior of thecontainer and the environment. The cover is designed such that in thesealing position it is contacting with a cover wall seal-tightly asidewall section of the container where the venting opening or ventingopenings are located so that, by means of the contacting cover wall ofthe cover, the venting openings are sealed off. In the closing positionof the cover, the venting passages open at and into the venting openingsso that the venting openings are not covered and a gas exchange or evenexchange of liquids and solids between the interior of the container andthe environment is still possible.

The sealing position thus differs from the closing position in that thecontainer is not just generally closed by placing the cover onto thecontainer wherein the venting openings are still in communication withthe interior of the container through the venting passages formed in thecover, but the container is closed off such that the venting openingsare also covered by one or several cover wall sections of the cover wallof the cover that are resting seal-tightly on the venting openings and,in this way, the venting openings are closed off so that gas exchange orexchange of liquids or solids through the venting openings is at leastmostly prevented. In the sealing position, the interior is thus notnecessarily completely sealed off relative to the environment but thecontents of the container is however at least protected from splashingwater and dust also cannot enter unhindered the interior of thecontainer. This is the meaning of the term sealing position as used inthe instant specification.

In the container, one or several venting openings can be provided. Forventing purposes, it may be sufficient to form only a single ventingopening in the container but it is also possible to provide severalventing openings. They can have different sizes, shapes and positions onthe container.

In order for the cover to selectively cover or not cover the ventingopenings in the sealing position and the closing position, it isrequired to arrange the venting openings in a sidewall section of thesidewall into which a cover wall of the cover projects at least in thesealing position. Depending on the position of the venting openings, thecover wall formed on the cover can thus project downwardly into thelower area of the container.

The term venting passages means a shaped section of the cover. Theshaped section is such that the outwardly closed cover surface extendsto a level at which, in the closing position of the cover, the coversurface at least in the area of the outer rim of the cover projects pastthe venting openings. Moreover, the cover in the mouth area of theventing passage has no cover wall section of the cover wall positionedat the venting openings which contacts seal-tightly the sidewall of thecontainer in the area of the venting opening; accordingly, through theventing openings gas can flow into the container interior and out of thecontainer interior. The cover can be configured such that each ventingopening of the container has associated therewith its own ventingpassage. It is also possible however to embody the cover to have oneventing passage for several venting openings of the container; then, inthe intermediate space between the recesses in the cover wall where theventing passage opens into a venting opening, a skirt can beadvantageously arranged in an area of the cover where in the sealingposition of the cover it is resting seal-tightly on the correspondingventing opening.

By integration of the venting option into the housing (container) andthe cover, a separate closure element is no longer needed. Additionalmounting expenditure is eliminated because only the housing (container)part and the cover part are present. By integration of the ventingopenings into the sidewall of the housing (container), the complicatedcomponent geometries which are difficult to clean are eliminated also.Since no additional separate component in addition to the housing(container) and the cover is required, such an additional separatecomponent cannot be lost. Cleaning of the components is simplified andthe container has therefore hygienic advantages.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the venting openings arearranged in the upper area of the container. When escape of liquids fromthe container is to be made more difficult despite the venting openings,this arrangement is advantageous. In particular, the venting openingscan be arranged immediately below the circumferentially extending rim.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the venting openings havea non-round shape. By providing a non-round shape which can be designed,for example, slot-shaped or elliptically shaped, the maximum width ofthe venting opening is limited, despite a larger surface area as a wholeof the venting opening, in relation to its length so that the objectsstored in the container, depending on their size and shape, cannot fallout easily from the container through the venting openings, even thougha venting rate can be obtained which corresponds to the realized totalsurface area of the venting openings. The venting openings can also havea circular shape wherein then however the diameter of the openings inrelation to the surface area of the venting openings can be greater thanfor a non-round configuration. Depending on the material to be stored inthe container, this may be of no consequence however.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the longitudinal axes ofthe venting openings extend in horizontal direction. Due to thehorizontal extension of the longitudinal axis, the venting openings inrelation to their width have a reduced height. In particular when theventing openings are arranged in the upper area of the container andcloser to the circumferentially extending rim, the protective functionof the sidewall remains intact across almost the entire height. When thecontainer is in horizontal position, liquids can hardly splash out ofthe container even when the container is moved because the liquid levelis usually still below the lowermost edge of the venting openings eventhen.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the circumferentiallyextending upper rim has a non-round shape so that the cover can beplaced only in certain positive-lockingly predetermined positions ontothe container. Due to the non-round shape, the user is therefore forcedto decide whether the cover is to be positioned in the sealing positionor in the closing position onto the container because it is no possibleto place the cover in just any placement position on the container. Incase of round shapes of the circumferentially extending upper rim itwould be possible, depending on the rotational position of the cover, toplace the cover also in intermediate positions onto the container inwhich the venting openings would only be partially closed.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the cover can be locked onthe container by locking (snap-on) connections and/or by closureelements. By means of the locking connections that can be activatedsimply by placement of the cover onto the container, the cover issecured in its closure position and can be detached only with aparticular force expenditure from the container. By means of the lockingaction, the cover is in particular safely held in the sealing positionin which gasses or liquids cannot pass unhindered into the container orout of the container because the cover wall sections of the cover wallof the cover are secured seal-tightly at the venting openings.Particular closure elements such as, for example, slidable bars,clamping flaps or the like require separate activation but can alsoprovide an increased degree of safety with regard to accidental openingof the cover, in particular when several such closure elements arepresent.

According to one embodiment of the invention, on one side of thecircumferentially extending sidewall several venting openings arearranged horizontally spaced apart from each other and the ventingopenings have a reduced width in comparison to the portions of thesidewall section of the sidewall interposed between them. With thereduced width of the venting openings in relation to the width of theinterposed portions of the sidewall section of the sidewalls, it ispossible to design the cover wall sections of the cover wall that areseal-tightly resting on the venting openings in the sealing position ofthe cover to be of such a width that they project with overlap past theventing openings in seal-tight contact so that seal-tightness isincreased.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the container has asymmetric basic shape and the venting openings are positioned onopposite sides of the circumferentially extending sidewall and are notmirror-symmetrical to a line that connects the two sides at the centerof the width of the sides. In such an arrangement of the ventingopenings in a symmetric container, the cover wall sections of the coverwall of the cover, which are in seal-tight contact in the sealingposition, also must not be mirror-symmetrical to a line that connectsthe two sides at the center of the width of the sides when they are tobe in seal-tight contact in the sealing position. In particular when theventing openings arranged on opposite sides of the circumferentiallyextending sidewall have no lateral offset relative to one another inrelation to the line that connects the two sides at the center of theirwidth, a configuration of the cover and of the container results inwhich the cover must only be rotated by 180 degrees about its verticalaxis in order to move the cover from the sealing position into theclosing position, and vice versa. As a symmetric basic shape, arectangular shape is conceivable, for example.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the container and/or thecover are made of a transparent or translucent plastic material. Throughthe transparent or translucent plastic material, the user can recognizewhether the cover has been placed in a sealing position or closingposition onto the container.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the cover wall sectionsare arranged in a position on the cover such that in the sealingposition they are resting seal-tightly at the venting openings and, uponrotation of the cover by 180 degrees about the vertical axis, do notcover and thus open up the venting openings. In this configuration, theventing function can be easily actuated by the user of the storage boxbecause the user must only make a selection between one of twopossibilities for positioning the cover on the container.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the cover wall sectionshave a greater width and height than the venting openings. Due to thegreater dimensions of the cover wall sections an excellent coveringaction is ensured.

It is expressly noted that the afore described configurations of theinvention taken alone, but also in any suitable combination with eachother, can be combined with the subject matter of the independent claiminasmuch as this is not prevented by technical constraints.

Further modifications and preferred embodiments of the invention can betaken from the following description of the subject matter and from thedrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective bottom view of the storage box.

FIG. 2 is a perspective top view of the cover of the storage box.

FIG. 3 is a perspective top view of the storage box.

FIG. 4 is a section view of an open venting opening along the sectionline A-A of FIG. 3 with the cover in closing position.

FIG. 5 is a section view of the closed venting opening along the sectionline A-A of FIG. 3 with the cover in sealing position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 discloses a storage box 2 in a perspective bottom view. Thestorage box 2 has a container 4 into which food or other objects can beplaced wherein the interior of the container 4 is laterally bounded by asidewall 6 that ends in upward direction at the upper rim 8. The storagebox 2 further comprises a cover 10 that is placed onto the upper rim 8.The storage box 2 can be put down with bottom 12 of the container 4being placed onto a support surface.

The visible end face of the container 4 in FIG. 1 is provided below theupper rim 8 with four venting openings 14. The venting openings 14 areslot-shaped. In outward direction, the venting openings 14 are coveredby the cover 10 and the bead-shaped projecting upper rim 8 so that theyare not fully visible in the illustrated view.

FIG. 2 shows a cover 10 in a perspective top view. The cover 10 isprovided with shaped venting passages 16. The venting passages 16 arenot mirror-symmetrical relative to a line 18 that connects the two endfaces or opposite sides at the center of their width. Between theventing passages 16 there are cover wall sections 20 of a cover wallwhich in the sealing position of the cover 10 are resting seal-tightlyat the venting openings 14. The venting passages 16 as well as the coverwall sections 20 are positioned on opposite sides of the cover 10 eachat the same location; accordingly, the arrangement of the ventingpassages 16 and the cover wall sections 20 is mirror-symmetricalrelative to the transverse axis 22. When the cover 10 is rotated by 180degrees about the vertical axis 24, a wall section 20 will be positionedwhere beforehand in the position of FIG. 2 a venting passage 16 waslocated; at the locations where in FIG. 2 the wall sections 20 arepositioned, the venting passages 16 will be arranged after rotation by180 degrees. Accordingly, by 180 degree rotation in the illustratedembodiment, the cover 10 is positioned either in the sealing position orin the closing position on the container 4 when the cover 10 is placedonto the container.

In FIG. 3, a perspective top view of the container 4 is shown. In thisperspective view the inner walls of the container 4 are partiallyvisible. In this view it can be seen that the upper rim 8 is designed asa circumferentially extending bead in that the sidewall 6 is downwardlybent by approximately 180 degrees in an arc shape. The container 4 has aparallelepipedal basic shape and the corners of the sidewall 6 and ofthe upper rim 8 are rounded. At both end faces of the container 4, inthe transition area from the sidewall 6 to the upper rim 8, sidewallsections are provided that have two venting openings 14 a and twoventing openings 14 b arranged on the left side of the connecting line18 as well as two venting openings 14 a′ and two venting openings 14 b′on the right side of the connecting line 18. As has already beenexplained in connection with the venting passages 16 and the cover wallsections 20 in the cover 10, the venting openings 14 and theintermediately positioned portions of the sidewall section of thesidewall 6 are not mirror-symmetrical to a line 18 that connects the twoend faces at the center of their width. With a corresponding arrangementof the venting passages 16 and of the cover wall sections 20 in thecover 10, there is thus the option, depending on how the cover 10 isplaced onto the container 4, to vent the interior of the container 4 bythe venting openings 14 in the closing position or to prevent venting inthe sealing position. While the arrangement of the venting openings 14a/14 b is not mirror-symmetrical to the venting openings 14 a′/14 b′ formirror imaging relative to the connecting line 18, the venting openings14 a, 14 a′ are however mirror-symmetrical relative to the ventingopenings 14 b, 14 b′ with respect to the transverse axis 22.

In FIG. 4 a cross section view of the container 4 and the cover 10 alongthe section line A-A in FIG. 3 is shown. In the illustration of FIG. 4,the cover 10 is in the closing position in which by means of the ventingopening 14 a free gas exchange between the interior of the container 4and the outer environment is possible as indicated by the double-headedarrow. In the cross-sectional view the ramp can be seen clearly by meansof which the level of the cover 10 is extending from the lower plane inthe central area of the cover 10 into the higher plane of the cover rim.In the rim area the wall of the cover 10 thus projects in the closingposition past the top edge of the venting opening 14 so that the latterin the closing position is not covered by the cover 10. In the view ofFIG. 4, it is also shown that the cover wall section 20 in the closingposition is resting seal-tightly on an inner wall surface of a portionof the sidewall section of the sidewall 6 which is located betweenneighboring venting openings 14 and is of a closed design.

In FIG. 5, the section view along the line A-A of FIG. 3 is shown whenthe cover 10 is in the sealing position. In the view of FIG. 5 one cansee that now the cover wall section 20 of the cover 10 completely coversthe entire area of the venting opening 14 and is resting seal-tightly onthe sidewall 6 so that now a free gas exchange between the interior ofthe container 4 and the outer environment is not possible anymore. Theventing passage 16 is now in a position in which it is positioned beforethe closed intermediate potion of the sidewall section of the sidewall 6between two neighboring venting openings 14. Since the sidewall 6, asshown in FIG. 5, is of a closed design in this area of the ventingpassage 16, no gas (air) exchange between the interior of the container4 and the environment takes place by means of the venting passage 16 inthe sealing position of the cover 10. The venting opening 14 in thesealing position of the cover 10 is completely and gas-tightly coveredacross the entire surface area by the cover wall section 20.

The specification incorporates by reference the entire disclosure ofEuropean priority application 13 002 015 having a filing date of Apr.17, 2013.

The invention is not limited to the afore described concreteembodiments. A person of skill in the art will modify the invention asdisclosed and exemplified by the described embodiments in a way thatappears suitable to the artisan for a particular application. Whilespecific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described indetail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understoodthat the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from suchprinciples.

What is claimed is:
 1. A storage box comprising: a container having acircumferentially extending sidewall with an upper circumferentiallyextending rim; a cover adapted to be removably connected to thecontainer; wherein the cover, when placed in a closure position on thecontainer, is resting on the upper circumferentially extending rim;wherein, in the closure position, the cover is adapted to be positionedon the container in a sealing position or in a closing position; whereinthe circumferentially extending sidewall has a sidewall section with oneor more venting openings; wherein the cover has a downwardly extendingcover wall that extends downwardly into an interior of the container,wherein the cover wall is positioned where the sidewall section islocated in the closure position; wherein the cover wall is restingseal-tightly on an inner wall surface of the sidewall section in thesealing position of the cover; wherein the cover has one or more ventingpassages; wherein, in the closing position of the cover, the one or moreventing passages extend from the interior of the container to thecircumferentially extending sidewall of the container and open into theone or more venting openings without the cover wall of the covercovering the one or more venting openings.
 2. The storage box accordingto claim 1, wherein the one or more venting openings are arranged in theupper area of the container.
 3. The storage box according to claim 1,wherein the one or more venting openings have a non-round shape.
 4. Thestorage box according to claim 3, wherein a longitudinal axis of the oneor more venting openings extends in a horizontal direction.
 5. Thestorage box according to claim 1, wherein the circumferentiallyextending upper rim has a non-round shape so that the cover can bepositioned only in positive-lockingly predetermined positions on thecontainer.
 6. The storage box according to claim 1, comprising lockingconnections that are adapted to lock the cover on the container.
 7. Thestorage box according to claim 1, comprising locking elements that areadapted to lock the cover on the container.
 8. The storage box accordingto claim 1, wherein on one side of the circumferentially extendingsidewall several of the venting openings are arranged spaced apart fromeach other in a horizontal direction, wherein the venting openings havea width that is smaller than a width of portions of the sidewall sectionthat are intermediately positioned between the venting openings.
 9. Thestorage box according to claim 1, wherein the container has a symmetricbasic shape, wherein the venting openings are positioned on oppositesides of the circumferentially extending sidewall and are arrangednon-symmetrically relative to a line that connects the opposite sides ata center of a width of the opposite sides.
 10. The storage box accordingto claim 1, wherein the container is made of transparent or translucentplastic material.
 11. The storage box according to claim 1, wherein thecover is made of transparent or translucent plastic material.
 12. Thestorage box according to claim 1, wherein the cover has two of saidcover walls on opposite ends of the cover, wherein the cover walls arearranged on the cover such that, in the sealing position of the cover,the cover walls cover seal-tightly the one or more venting openings and,upon rotation of the cover about 180 degrees about a vertical axis, thecover walls do not cover the one or more venting openings.
 13. Thestorage box according to claim 1, wherein the cover wall has cover wallsections extending between the venting passages, wherein the cover wallsections each have a width in the circumferential direction that isgreater than a width of each one of the one or more venting openings inthe circumferential direction, and wherein the cover wall sections eachhave a vertical height that is greater than a vertical height of eachone of the one or more venting openings.